It has been written that Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland
Center, Wisconsin. (It has also been written that he wasn't). The building
you see above is the one building that he designed in the town that was famed
to be his birthplace. According to Storrer,
Albert Dell German was owed money by Mr. Wright. Instead of insisting on
payment, he accepted a design for
his new warehouse instead. It was designed as a place to store wholesale
goods with a small retail space in order to sell them.

A little closer

The original estimate for construction was $30,000. Construction
started in 1917 using some techniques for poured concrete that had just been
standardized by the Federal Government. By 1921, the cost was up over $125,000
and construction was stopped. Mr. German's financial woes after WWI ended
up with him losing the building for back taxes that were owed. He purchased
it back in 1935 and then lost it again in 1937.

Downspout detail

The building changed hands many times. Former Wright apprentice
John Howe assisted with the restoration of the warehouse in the 1980s.

Store front

As you can tell by these photos, it was a bit foggy the morning
I visited the A.D. German Warehouse. My schedule was pretty tight, so I was
there at sunrise. I liked the affect that the fog had on this building though.
It gave it an element of mystery.

From the other side

The A.D. German Warehouse isn't in the greatest of shape. Some
of the photos show that the concrete work is crumbling. So far it is cosmetic.
The building was built to be amazingly strong. It consists of poured concrete
with brick on the outside.